Flexible pocket receptacle



Oct. 7, 1941. w. R. BUXTON 2,258,316

FLEXIBLE POCKET RECEPTACLE Filed Nov. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Men [R 1?. Emm

ATTORNEYS Oct. 7, 1941'. w, R, BUXTQN 2,258,316

FLEXIBLE POCKET RECEPTACLE I Filed Nov. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y 'INVENTOR MFA/1? 1250170 TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 7, 1941 OFFICE 2,258,316 FLEXIBLE. POCKET RECEPTACLE. Warner R. Buxton, Longmeadow, Mass., assignor to Buxton, Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., a

corporation of Massachu setts A p ation Novemb r 20, 94 S a o- 366 3 1 5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved flexible pocket receptacle of a type suitable for carrying letters and other papers. This application is a continuation in part of my .co-pending application Serial No. 181,009, filed December 21, 1937.

Receptacles .of this class are known as letter cases and usually comprise two superposed pieces of stifily flexible leather or the like which are fastened together at their coincident margins along one side and oneend only, leaving one end and one side open for the insertion and removal of papers from the case. An objection. to this type of case is that papers will readily slide out through the open side.

This invention has for an object to provide, in a letter case of the class described formed of stifily flexible material, aretaining flap, hingedly connected to the outer wall along the open side thereof and adapted to be inserted, by a swinging movement, between the inner and outer walls to retain between it and the outer wall such papers as are placed in the case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a retaining flap, forthe above stated purpose, which is specially shaped to facilitate the insertion of it into or the removal of it from the case.

These and other objects will best appear from the following description and they will be pointed out in the appended claims. l l The invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; i Fig. 1 is a small scale developed view. of the blank from which the receptacle is made; i

Fig. 2 is a small scale View of the completed receptacle, shown in closed position; Fig. 3 is a top planview ofthe closed receptacle drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 2 but showing the retaining flap completely withdrawn from the receptacle; 1

Figs.5 and 6 are top plan views showing the retaining flap at the start and near the end of its movement to open position, respectively;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view taken from the right hand side of Fig. 6; t

Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of a receptacle embodying a modification of the invention; and r Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing a modified structure.

Referring to these drawings; the letter. case may be, and desirably is, made up from a single piece of'stifily flexible leather, orother similarly flexible material, cutout in theform shown in Fig. 1. As there shown, the leather blank includes two substantially rectangular portions I0 and H, forming the outer and inner walls, respectively, of the case, and a flap I2 of irregular shape. The walls I0 and I I are marked off by a crease or score line I 3, forming a line of fold, about which the walls may be swung, the one relatively to the otherinto superposed relation. A similar line of fold I 4 forms the opposite side edge of outer wall In and divides it off from flap I2. This flap may be swung about line I4 into and out of superposed relation with wall I0.

In making up thecase, the flap I2 is swung about line I4 as an axis into superposed relation with wall it; then wall II is, swung about line I3 as an axis into superposed relation with flap I2 and the walls I!) and II are then fastened to-, gether along one. end edge only by the stitches I5 or any other suitable means. The finished article then appears as shown in Fig. 2.

The connection between the walls I I! and Il and between the walls Ill and I2 is essentially a pivotal connection and may be made in any suit: able way. The parts do not, therefore, necessarily have to be integral although that is considered the best form. r i

In use, the papers to be carried in the case are placed between the outer wall It and the inner wall II and the flap I2 is swung in place to lie between the papers and the inner wall II, thereby preventing the papers from sliding out from. the. one open side of the case, The case is carried in the pocket so that the open end lies r uppermost, so that the papers will not escape from the case through its one open end. Moreover, the several walls are made of stiff leather and, when in closed position, as in Fig. 2, exert substantial pressure on the papers, tending to hold them in place by irictional engagement.

The flap I2 must be easily and conveniently movable to enable the user to insert and remove papers from the case and yet it must be held in place against accidental movement out of its normal closed position shown in Fig. 2. For these reasons, the flap has been constructed in the special form shown. Its inner edge, for a short distance near the open end of the case is, or may be, made parallel to the line of fold I4,

as shown at IE, and may lie substantially coincident with or closely adjacent to the line of connection I 3 between walls II} and I I. However, ex cept for this portion I6, the inner edge of flap I2 slopes outwardly and downwardly, as indi cateclat. 1.1., to a m itia their e t '4 ear The arrangement just described enables one to;

remove the flap, wholly or partially out of the case, with ease and convenience. The resistance to withdrawal of the flap, if it were the, same size and shape as wall I0, would increase'progressivelyfrom a minimum near the open top to a maximum H near th closed bottom of the case. To avoid such a condition, the flap I2 is cut away, as shown, to avoid any such increase in resistance to its movement and to provide a substantially uniform resistance to movement from the top to the -bottom of the flap. 1 v

' The arrangement is such that the flap [2 may be readily moved by inserting the forefinger between it and the upper wall at the upper right hand corner of the case, near the line of fold l4 and then moving it outwardly to pull out the flap as indicated in Fig. 5. The flap in being thus moved, bends to some extent near the point of application of the force by the finger and its trailing end acts like a cam to spread apart the walls Ill and II to an extent greatest near the upper part and least near the lower part of the case. The flap need not necessarily be moved entirely out from between the walls II] and l l as shown in Fig. 4. The flap may simply be moved far enough to spread the walls apart as shown in Fig. 6. Papers may then be easily removed from or inserted into the case through its open end. If the flap is not entirely removed but is left positioned as shown in Fig. 6, it may be restored by a slight pressure on the walls l and II, which being squeezed toward one another will force the flap into place, The fact is that the walls and flaps are made of stiff enough leather to have consider able resiliency and, after an initial squeezing together of the walls l0 and II to start the movement of the flap, the remainder of its movement will be effected by the springing back of the walls and'flap from their deflected positions.

It is not necessarily essential that the walls Ii) and H be of exactly the same size and shape although that is the arrangement generally desired. In Fig. 8, a receptacle has been shown which is like that described in every way except that the free side edge l8 of the inner wall H is spaced from the line of fold M. This arrangement has the advantage of enabling the flap'l2 to be moved even more easily.

The invention thus affords a letter case with a retaining flap that can be readily inserted in and removed from the case and yet efiectively performs its function of retaining against escape from the open side of the receptacle such papers as are placed therein and lie between the flap and outer wall. 7 a As indicated at l9 in Fig. 6, the walls at the corner portion'adjacent the closed side and end or thereceptacle tend to hug together when the walls are held open by the stiffness of flap l2. This action is desirable to a degree since ittends to hold papers in the receptacle. In some cases, however, where the leather either because of its character or finish is of more than usual stiffness,

this tightening at the corner may extend so far inwardly of the corner as to interfere with the removal of papers from and the insertion of papers into the receptacle. This may be overcome by increasing the flexibility at the corners as by stopping the stitching l5 short of the corner as indicated at in Fig. 9, thus leaving a relatively short unattached portion 2| at the corner. By varying the length of the unattached portion 2| the area over which the walls hug together may be controlled, The length of the opening 2| is never large and, as will be understood, will preferably vary slightly with the degree of stillness of the leather.

What I claim is:

1. A pocket receptacle, comprising, outer and inner substantially rectangular walls of stifliy flexible material and of substantially equal area superposed one upon the other and secured together along one side edge and one end edge to form between them a compartment for papers and the like, the remaining edges of said walls being unsecured, whereby the receptacle is open along one end and one side, and a retaining flap of flexible material hingedly connected to the other side edge of the outer wall and normally extending between said walls to retain said papers between it and the outer wall, said flap being of greatest width near the open end and of least width near the closed end of the receptacle and having its inner and free edge sloping from the point of maximum width to the point of minimum width, said edge engaging the inner surface of the inner wall as the retaining flap is. swun toward a position outwardly of the compartment to thereby spread the inner and outer walls.

2. A pocket receptacle, comprising, outer and inner substantially rectangular walls of stifily flexible material and of substantially equal area superposed one upon the other and secured together along one side edge and one end edge to form between them a compartment for papers and the like, the remaining edges of said walls being unsecured, whereby the receptacle is open along one end and .one side, and a retaining flap of flexible material hingedly connected to the other side edge of the outer. wall and normally extending between said walls to retain said papers between it and the outerwall, said flap having its portion of maximum width located near thatend which lies adjacent to th open end of the receptacle and such width-being substantially equal to the width of the outer wall, said flap having its portion of. minimumwidth located near its opposite end which lies adjacentthe closed end of the receptacle and decreasing progressively in width from the first-named toward the lastnamed. portion, in the form of a curve, said edge forming a curved cam operable when the flap is swung toward a position outwardly of the compartment to engage the inner surface of the inner wall and thereby spread the inner and outer walls.

3. 1A pocket receptacle, comprising, outer and inner substantially rectangular walls of stifily flexible material and of substantially equal area superposed onerupon the other and. secured together along one side edge and one end edge, said walls being unsecured along the remaining edges, the other sideedge of the inner wall being spaced inwardly from the adjacent side edge of the outer wall, and a retaining flap of flexible material hingedly secured along one side edge to the last-named side edge of the outer wall and normally extending inwardly between said walls to retain between it and the outer wall such papers as may be placed in said receptacle, said flap being of greatest width near the open end and of least width near the closed end of the rereceptacle and having its inner and free edge sloping from the point of maximum width to the point of minimum width, said edge engaging the inner surface of the inner wall as the retaining flap is swung toward a position outwardly of the compartment to thereby spread the inner and outer walls.

4. A pocket receptacle, comprising, outer and inner substantially rectangular walls of stiflly flexible material and of substantially equal area superposed one upon th other and secured together along one side edge and one end edge, said walls being unsecured along the remaining edges, the other side edge of the inner wall being spaced inwardly from the adjacent side edge of the outer Wall, and a retaining flap of flexible material hingedly secured along one side edge to the last-named side edge of the outer wall and normally extending inwardly between said walls to retain between it and the outer wall such papers as may be placed in said receptacle, said flap having its portion of maximum width located near that end which lies adjacent to the open end of the receptacle and such width being substantially equal to the width of the outer wall, said flap having its portion of minimum width located near its opposite end which lies adjacent the closed end of the receptacle and decreasing progressively in width from the first-named toward the last-named portion, in the form of a curve, said edge forming a curved cam operable when the flap is swung toward a position outwardly of the compartment to engage the inner surface of the inner wall and thereby spread the inner and outer walls.

5. A pocket receptacle as in claim 1 in which the corner at the junction of the closed side and end edges is left open, whereby excessive tendency of the receptacle walls to hug together adjacent said corner when the walls are spread by the retaining flap is relieved.

WARNER R. BUXTON. 

